


Massive Moonpie Mess

by RainbowPixieCat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic, Stuffing, Vomit, emeto, moonpies, puke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 02:44:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16986663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowPixieCat/pseuds/RainbowPixieCat
Summary: Rufioh and some friends hang out at the local mall and end up jumping into a moonpie eating competition at a new restaurant in a bid to win some money. However, naturally, most people end up puking. Rufioh seems to be having a worse time of it than the others but he has his loving and creepy matesprit, Kurloz, to help him out.





	Massive Moonpie Mess

**Author's Note:**

> Vomit fic! Don't like, don't read. You've been warned. ;)

Rufioh had been invited out by friends. It was Meulin’s idea. She wanted to get the old group together again and do something fun. Unfortunately, most of them were busy working or doing other things, so they ended up with a smaller group. Rufioh invited Kurloz along, naturally since he was his new matesprit. Mituna tagged along without Latula, who said it would be good for him to get out of the house for an airing while she was at work. The yellowblood kept close to Kurloz, his moirail, following him everywhere. 

Meulin had also invited her moirail, Horuss. Along with Horuss came Damara, who tagged along for the sole reason of nettling and teasing Rufioh with her new matesprit. The two had gotten together out of their mutual hatred of Rufioh and what he did to both of them. They seemed remarkably happy together. 

Meulin’s idea of fun involved a day out seeing the sights and shopping around the mall and main shopping streets. After which, they would all meet up for lunch at a new restaurant that opened that had good reviews. They started at the main shopping street that led up to the mall. Meulin, Horuss and Damara paired up together to look for clothing and shoes, while Kurloz got dragged off by Mituna into an electronics and video game store, where the Psion excitedly babbled about the new virtual reality headset for the Playstation 4 and the various games on the shelves. 

Rufioh followed along but headed into the anime section. He browsed them carefully, unable to decide on which to get since they all looked so good. He picked one up and read over it then called out to Kurloz. Kurloz loped over and took the box set of DVDs that Rufioh held out to him “What about this one? Does this look good?” It was a horror anime with supernatural themes and fantasy. 

Kurloz studied the case and read the back of the box before looking back at Rufioh and giving a slight, stitched-smile, nodding in silent approval. His purple eyes lit up with their familiar eerie glow. “You chose well. I look forward to watching it together” The deep, rich tone echoed in Rufioh’s mind. 

“Thanks” The brown blood smiled and leaned forwards to press a kiss to his lover’s mouth. Kurloz no longer had real stitches and had also gained his tongue back since they’d been resurrected on this new world. He did however, have tattoos of stitches on his lips and opted to remain mute and talk with his own brand of psionics known as chucklevoodoos. He kissed Rufioh back briefly before they broke apart. 

Rufioh took the case that Kurloz handed back to him. “We need something light and fluffy now to balance it out. How about this?” he picked an anime about catgirls and their master. Kurloz chuckled softly. “Looks like a hentai. We could have some fun with that” 

Rufioh grinned happily “Awesome” he muttered, sounding quietly ecstatic as he held onto both the box sets carefully.

Mituna came running up to show the two something. He was holding out a PlayStation game “Check thith out Kurloz. Check it. Thith ith one of the thcariestht gameth ever and ith in virtual reality. Man, we have to play it!!!” he yelled excitedly, jittering. 

Kurloz took it and looked at it. He smirked appreciatively but turned a searching gaze on his moirail “Are you’re sure you can handle this level of fear? This won’t give you nightmares?” he queried gently, his thought-voice tickling Mituna’s mind.

Mituna giggled. “I love when you do that” he admitted. “Maketh my brain tingle. Nah, I’m good. I can handle it” he asserted, puffing his chest out a little as he snatched the case back with a grin. “Tho, can we get it?” 

“You know that’s not going to work without the VR set right?” Rufioh asked, his wings fluttering slightly.

Mituna nodded excitedly “Hell yeah, let’th get that too! You can pay” he told Kurloz happily. 

Kurloz chuckled a low rumble and nodded silently, getting his wallet from his purple shorts pocket. 

“Yippee!” Mituna whooped loudly, before running off to grab the virtual reality headset and some extra game controllers. 

Rufioh frowned “Don’t you think you’re spoiling him too much? That thing is expensive” 

Kurloz shook his head. “No. He’s one of the few that didn’t change much after the game. Possibly because everyone likes him the way he is. But, still…if this makes him this happy then it’s worth the cost” he answered, purple words glowing through his matesprit’s mind. 

Rufioh grinned and threw an arm around the taller troll “You know, I don’t get why some people think you’re scary, Kurloz. You’re not scary at all”

Kurloz laughed softly and pecked Rufioh on the cheek. “I’ll remember you said that for later”. He followed after Mituna at a more sedate pace towards the checkout counter with Rufioh at his side, still clutching the DVDs under his free arm. 

After they made their purchases, they re-joined Meulin, Horuss and Damara. Meulin and Damara were chatting excitedly over the cute skirts, tops and dresses they’d found, while Horuss was smiling but stayed mostly silent and close to Damara, listening to her chatter on and nodding in the right places. 

Everyone seemed to be having a good time, despite their diverse interests in what to buy. They went into different stores together, buying clothes, talking, trying out the cool things in the science and planet shop, buying snacks and candy to share, and looking in all the shops that caught their interest. 

Rufioh got a few more T-shirts with funny words or pictures on them and some collectible Fiduspawn cards and toys. He also bought some skin lotion for himself since he liked to keep his skin looking flawless. Kurloz bought more dark and purple clothes, some horror novels and got his nails done professionally. Horuss and Damara went to get a half hour massage together and bought some things from an adult toy and clothing store. While Meulin bought cute stationery, craft activities, makeup and cat toys and treats for herself and her cats. Mituna bought a stuffed bee that vibrates and lights up and some toys (figurines from his favourite cartoons, Lego sets), plus a new skateboard.   
They kept shopping for several hours, exploring the mall and enjoying the sights and sounds.

Eventually, everyone was getting tired of walking; all of them were hungry and had their arms full of bags, so they stopped at the new restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was called The Hungry Lusus and the smells wafting from the place were mouth-watering. The group quickly found a table and started reading through the menus, when Damara noticed something on the menu’s first page 

“Hey, look. It’s competition. Win five thousand dollars!” she pointed to it. “Eat lots of sweet cakes and win money. Too easy!” she scoffed, sitting up with a smirk. “I could do it with my eyes blinded” She stood up and rubbed her flat, empty belly. “I’m in. Anyone want to join? Or too chicken shit?” she sneered, daring them. 

“I’ll do it! I’ll join in, that sounds like fun” Meulin stood and clapped her hands, smiling eagerly as her long tail waved to and fro behind her “We should all do it! Come on. When else are we ever gonna do it? We may as well. And since all of our stomachs are empty, it’s guaranteed at least one of us is going to win!” she cheered. “Winner keeps all!”

Mituna stood up and pounded the table “Hellth yeah I’ll do it. Thoundth rad” he pumped a fist in the air. “Bring me CAKE!” 

Horuss placed a hand on her arm gently. “Damara, are you sure about this? Chocolate cakes are not very good for one’s health in excessive amounts. Maybe we can eat something healthy instead, and then try one. It’s our first time here. We don’t have to do the challenge today” 

Damara shook her head. “No way. It’s best to win on empty stomach. Horse boy, you join me, we win and prove everyone losers” she giggled, tugging his arm pleadingly. “Five thousand dollar, Horuss!”

Horuss blushed at the nickname she called him, sweating a little. He looked mildly concerned. “But Damara, if you have too many of those…what are they?” he looked at the menu again and saw the advertisement. In it were the special dessert cakes that were called Moon Pies. They were chocolate sponge with creamy whipped cream and jam inside them and they came in different flavours, such as strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. “You could get a tummy ache. Who will take care of you if we both become sick?”

Rufioh looked nervous. “Ahaha, well, I don’t know. I am pretty hungry but I’m not sure if I’m down for this. It seems kind of silly if you ask me” 

Kurloz smiled “Five thousand dollars. Imagine how much anime you can buy with that” he signed, “Or cat toys” he signed towards Meulin, “Or sex toys” he signed to Damara.

“Or gameth!” Mituna chipped in, able to understand his moirail’s sign language. 

Rufioh laughed nervously “Uh, well…I guess that’s cool. I mean, it is a lot of money but, aren’t there easier ways of getting it?” 

Damara looked at Rufioh and smirked “Ha. Rufioh won’t do it. He’s too much big coward” she teased, “No confidence, too scared!” She mimed a wiggler pouting and shivering. 

Rufioh stood up. “I’m in!” he said decisively, trying to look Damara in the eye but only able to hold her gaze for a second before looking away. “I’m not a coward. Bring it on”.

Kurloz placed a hand on Rufioh’s shoulder. He saw the smouldering look in his eyes and knew his matesprit accepted the challenge. They all walked to the front counter where normally guests would order their meals and told the server they wanted to enter the competition. 

The waiter serving the counter grinned “All right, cool. I’ll let the boss know. Looks like we’ve got some new entrants” he turned to walk into the back of the kitchen, yelling out “Hey, boss, we got some new contestants here. Six people, all wanna try the challenge” 

The head chef came out and took a look at the group and then laughed. “All right but I gotta warn you, this ain’t an easy comp. No one’s been able to beat my record yet. I’d like to see it” He patted his round, bulging stomach confidently. “If any of you manages to eat a hundred of these, you win AND you beat my record. It’s not easy. You kids sure you’re up to the task?”

They all gave their affirmation and provided their name, address and contact numbers. They were soon back at their table and each troll was seated with a platter of moon pies stacked high with the cakes. The timer was set. People started to gather round to watch. Other people watched from their tables while they ate. 

“Ready…set…go!” the chef yelled. 

Everyone dug in. Meulin ate hers in neat little bites, pacing herself. Mituna shoved in one cake after another, trying to eat as fast as possible and getting cream and crumbs smeared everywhere. Kurloz finished each cake in two big bites. Damara ripped hers into pieces that she hurriedly snapped up. Horuss held one in each hand, alternating bites from one to the other and Rufioh copied Mituna, shoving them in quickly. 

They kept eating to the sounds of cheers and commentary. Horuss was the first one to slow down and then give in. He didn’t really eat sweets that often and he already felt the sugar overload. He sat down with his hand rubbing his full stomach, groaning softly. Damara sped up her pace, to make up for Horuss copping out. The contest kept going. 

Meulin was next to fail, letting out a meow of discomfort and slumping back in her seat, chocolate cream and crumbs round her mouth and on her top. “I give up! I’m g-gonna be sick” she hiccupped, rubbing her belly and covering a large burp. 

Kurloz was the next one to quit, pausing to swallow hard several times and then collapsing back into his seat, rubbing his swollen belly. That left Damara, Mituna and Rufioh. 

Mituna seemed to be doing the best so far, wolfing down cakes like they were going out of fashion, until suddenly he paused and threw up over the remaining cakes on his platter, rendering them inedible. Kurloz stood and ushered his moirail quickly to the bathroom, rubbing his back soothingly as Mituna gagged and coughed. Damara kept going, pacing herself alongside Rufioh who still was cramming them in and jawing them up almost mechanically. 

The two were glaring daggers at each other. They kept going and Rufioh was almost sure he was going to lose, when Damara dropped the last cake back onto her plate with a long groan, defeated. Her stomach looked like a beach ball with how swollen it was and her clothes strained around the ballooning flesh, showing a stripe of grey skin from where her top couldn’t cover her. She hurried off to the bathroom. 

Rufioh crammed the final cake into his mouth, forced himself to swallow it somehow…just as the timer rang out. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause and the head chef came over and raised Rufioh’s hand in the air. “We have our winner, ladies and gentlemen! Not only will the lucky contestant be given a year’s supply of my delicious, special recipe moon pies, he will receive a cheque for five thousand dollars! Thanks everyone for watching. I will set up a new challenge starting next week with my famous ribs and seafood combo”

Needless to say, Rufioh was feeling pretty sick but also proud of himself. He’d subconsciously undone the buckle of his belt and the top button of his jeans sometime during the contest. His stomach bulged out round and full, lifting his t-shirt, bigger than Damara’s. It almost looked like he was six months pregnant. Kurloz came back with Mituna, and helped Rufioh to the bathroom where he threw up, along with everyone else who’d stuffed themselves full of cake. 

Once everyone had the moon pies mostly out of their systems, they gathered up their bags and decided to leave, parting ways in the car park to their respective vehicles. Everyone congratulated Rufioh on winning, except for Damara, who said something rude and mocking in East Beforean and pointed at his stomach, and Horuss, who gave him a dirty look. 

He didn’t really care. He got into Kurloz’s black XR6 car and sat in the passenger seat with a moan, arms around his belly and head tilted back. He couldn’t bring himself to put his seatbelt on yet. Even the slightest pressure on his belly would be too much.

Mituna got in the back seat with all the shopping bags and lay back with a similar groan “Oh thit. Thethe thingth don’t tasthe the thame in reverthe” he complained with a small laugh and another groan. “Ith bitter ath fuck” 

Kurloz chuckled and his eyes glowed purple as he used his chucklevoodoos. “Don’t puke in my car. Here” he handed Mituna a plastic bag. “I didn’t eat anywhere near as much as you two but I still threw up and I might again, so I’m not taking any chances on you two” 

Mituna took the bag off Kurloz and pretended to puke in it, making exaggerated noises. “Oh no, I mithed, ith goin everywheeerrreee!” he snickered and pretended to spill the contents of the bag everywhere. 

Kurloz smirked and ruffled his moirail’s hair. “Try not to. Or I’ll force you to clean my car until it smells like paradise” 

Mituna whined and flapped a hand “Yeah yeah” 

Rufioh heard Kurloz approach and felt something placed into his hands, able to hear the rustle of plastic. He looked down and saw that it was a plastic shopping bag. Rufioh moaned softly again “Thanks Kurloz…ugh. I am never doing that again” 

Kurloz placed a kiss on his nose and forehead before getting into the drivers’ side and starting up the car. They were about ten minutes down the road when Rufioh felt the familiar acid burn of liquid surging up his throat. He opened the bag and held it under his chin, just in time to projectile vomit a stream of curdled chunks. Mituna could be heard doing the exact same thing in the back seat. Kurloz winced at the yucky sounds and kept driving. He had to pull over a few times himself to throw up on the grassy side of the road.

Mituna and Rufioh puked several more times on the way home but by the time he was dropped off at his and Latula’s hive Mituna seemed to be feeling better, albeit exhausted. He gathered up his purchases with a tired but happy smile and hugged his moirail goodbye. Kurloz placed a pale kiss on Mituna’s forehead and chuckled as he watched Latula open the door only to be handed a bag full of sick. “What’s this?” and then a scream of disgust reached his ears. Kurloz laughed and climbed back in the car, waving to Latula and Mituna as he drove off. He drove the rest of the way home and helped Rufioh out of the car. 

The brownblood troll stumbled a bit as he got out and Kurloz caught his elbow, steadying him before he could fall. Rufioh felt dizzy and his stomach was doing all sorts of twisting and churning movements that made him feel extremely nauseous. He shambled into the living room with Kurloz’s help, was lowered down onto a couch, and promptly resumed adding more puke to the half full plastic bag he was holding. 

Kurloz made a sympathetic noise and rubbed his back, his eyes lighting up purple “Take it easy. You ate the most out of all of us so it makes sense you’d be motherfucking sick as a dog” he soothed. “I’ll get you a trash bin to use. When you’re done sicking up in that” 

Rufioh spat into the bag and moaned, before weakly sitting back and handing over the bag with an ill expression. “Sorry. This is gross. Hurry up with the bin yeah; I don’t think I’m done” 

Kurloz nodded and took the bag to go dispose of it before silently coming back and handing his matesprit a small rubbish bin with a plastic bag liner. It would be easier to clean. He went and started to unpack the things they had bought, putting them away. Kurloz walked back into the room carrying the two anime they had bought. He walked over and showed them to Rufioh, “Wanna watch one of these? It’ll help take your mind off the nausea” he thought-spoke. 

Rufioh was lying back against the couch with his eyes closed, holding the bin warily in his lap. His eyebrows were drawn and the discomfort in his stomach showed on his face. He cracked open an eye to look at the DVD box and nodded “Mm, kay” he sighed out tiredly. “Good idea” he was taking shallow breaths through his mouth trying not to upset his stomach further while willing the nausea to pass. 

Kurloz curled his lip in a small smile and went to put the first disc in the player. He turned on the TV and once everything was ready, went and sat down on the couch beside Rufioh. As the anime started to play the opening theme, Kurloz put his arm around Rufioh’s shoulders and pulled him close, cuddling him in his long yet strong arms. He was always careful not to crease Rufioh’s wings, even when the other troll had them neatly folded. He was especially careful not to squeeze him either, since his tummy was in a delicate condition. 

Rufioh leaned back against his matesprit with a faint smile and a shiver, getting comfortable. He turned his gaze to the TV and watched contently as he felt Kurloz’s hand rub his arm in a comforting fashion. 

Kurloz wasn’t really surprised when, halfway through the episode, Rufioh pulled the bin close and abruptly threw up again. He helped hold him steady and moved a hand to his forehead to hold his head up. His hand felt extra cold compared to the warmblood’s temperature. Kurloz frowned over the sounds of Rufioh heaving and the soft patter and rustle of liquid hitting plastic bag. He felt warmer than usual and his skin was clammy. Maybe this was more than just an angry stomach. Or maybe he had an allergy to too much chocolate. Kurloz knew from experience that eating too much of the sugary food would give anyone a stomach ache. “Think you’ve got everything out of your system yet?” he inquired, cold purple words glowing through his matesprit’s mind. 

Rufioh moaned softly and sat back with a wince, letting go of the bin with one hand to rub at his stomach “I don’t know. Think so. That should be it, anyway. I mean, I threw up so much on the way home. That’s gotta be the end of it” 

“Okay. Here, I’ll take that” Kurloz sat up and put out his hand for the bin, getting up to go and clean it. He soon returned and snuggled up back on the couch, pulling his lover into his lap. 

“Thanks” Rufioh lay back, smiling a little, careful not to hit Kurloz with his horns. “Want me to rewind it? You missed some” 

“Nah. It’s okay. Let’s just watch it. I can always re-watch it later” Kurloz moved his hand to play with Rufioh’s red and black hair, lightly carding his fingers through it. His other arm was around Rufioh’s waist, gently rubbing his stomach. He felt his matesprit relax under his touches as they watched the supernatural anime together. He smiled when predictably, three episodes later, the bull horned troll fell asleep. He knew it wasn’t for the other’s lack of interest; the anime and its characters were eerily captivating. Rufioh just needed to sleep off whatever made him sick. Kurloz stopped the show and then carefully shifted out from under his matesprit. 

Rufioh stirred a little and mumbled something, but fell back to sleep with a soft sigh when Kurloz sent a gentle wave of energy through his mind, placing two fingers lightly on Rufioh’s forehead. 

Kurloz made sure Rufioh was comfortable with a soft cushion under his head then went to get the disc from the DVD player and put it back in the case. He didn’t want to watch this anime by himself. It was something they always did together. Rufioh always insisted they store every DVD in its case to prevent the risk of the precious anime getting scratches. This pedantic little attention to detail made Kurloz smile. 

The purpleblood loped silently back to their shared bedroom and picked up one of the horror novels he’d bought. He leaned more towards the supernatural than anything else and it was usually a good read. He returned to the living room and settled himself on the comfy armchair. Kurloz leaned back, crossing his legs at the ankles and holding the book open in one hand while he leaned on the other. He looked darkly elegant, his tall and slender frame splayed across the chair. His eyes flickered glances at Rufioh every now and then, keeping watch over him. 

There wasn’t anything elegant about the way Rufioh woke up several hours later. He had been having weird, disturbing dreams and he woke up with a start, feeling cold, sweaty and nauseous. He pulled himself up to a sitting position with a groan then looked around and spotted Kurloz. “Hey Kurloz…” he swallowed thickly against the saliva that flooded into his mouth “Can you grab the bin for me?” his voice was somewhat desperate and strained with the effort of holding back the sickness that wanted to surge up and out. It was a horrible way to wake up and he felt really confused. He shouldn’t still feel this way after sleeping for a while. He was one hundred per cent sure all the moonpies or mooncakes or whatever the fuck the chocolate abominations were called, were out of his system a while ago.

Hearing someone call his name, Kurloz looked over his novel and saw Rufioh. He didn’t have time to get a good look at him since he instantly asked for the bin, but from what he glimpsed he didn’t look good. Confused but wanting to help avoid a mess if they could, the Makara got up and hurried to get the bin from the bathroom. He heard a garbled sound and a splash of liquid on the way back from the bathroom into the living room just in time to see Rufioh puke all over himself and the couch. 

Kurloz cringed and hurried over to him, placing the bin in his lap. “Sorry. Here” he put a hand on Rufioh’s back and rubbed it in soothing motions as the other troll clutched onto the bin and heaved into it messily. After two or three streams, he seemed to be done, and leaned back with a disgusted shudder, putting the bin aside. “Ugh…this is so not cool yo. I got it all over me” he complained, looking down at his clothes and the couch. 

Kurloz reached out and felt Rufioh’s forehead, then his cheek. “You have a fever” he informed him, noting how much his clothes and skin were damp with cold sweat. “Here, come. I’ll help you to the ablution chamber” 

“Thanks” Rufioh accepted Kurloz’s help to stand, and leaned on him as he walked him to the bathroom. He let out a soft, whiny noise of pain and discomfort “Urgh, feels like my stomach’s doing somersaults. And it hurts, nnh. Oh wait- no- I’m gonna-” Rufioh jerked forward and puked on the hallway floor, unable to hold it back. His stomach was cramping bad, causing him to clutch his middle and curl over in pain. 

Kurloz frowned but stopped, giving Rufioh time to recover so they could keep walking “Don’t worry about it. It’s tiles. Easy to clean” he said soothingly, eyes glowing purple. He didn’t flinch when another gush of vomit splattered the tiles again, the backsplash hitting their legs. At least it wasn’t carpet. 

Rufioh groaned when he stopped retching and heaving, swaying a little, dizzy on his feet. Strings of pukey saliva dripped from his open mouth and he panted shallow breaths, trying not to upset his stomach any further. “Sorry…” he offered pathetically, his voice raw from the acid and bile.

Kurloz sighed softly and without waiting for Rufioh’s agreement, he scooped the Taurus up in his arms and carried him the rest of the way to the bathroom. Purple bloods were stronger than most trolls. “Don’t be. I’ve seen worse. Besides, it’s…entertaining” he admitted hesitantly. 

Rufioh gave a weak laugh, his arms looped around Kurloz’s neck as he let himself be carried. He didn’t have much choice. He felt like he’d been binge drinking all day; not winning a stupid eating contest. “Figures you’d enjoy this. Not really surprised” he muttered with an attempt at a smile. 

“Fuck, you’re cute when you’re sick” Kurloz added, placing Rufioh down in the tub and starting to help strip off the vomit splattered clothes. “Yeah, don’t worry about nothing. Just lay back and let me take care of you” 

“And feed off my delicious suffering?” Rufioh mocked flatly, teasing his mate a little as Kurloz threw his clothes in the hamper and unhooked the detachable shower head. 

“You know how I work” Kurloz turned on the water and placed his hand under the stream to test the temperature before starting to wash Rufioh off. “You needed a bath anyway. The flesh heat is making you sweat” 

Rufioh chuckled as he looked at Kurloz from heavy lidded eyes “Do you have to make everything sound creepy?”

“Shut up, you know you love it” Kurloz chuckled, carefully washing Rufioh with liquid soap. 

Rufioh just rolled his eyes and let Kurloz minister to him. Being washed was actually quite nice, and the clean water did make him feel fresher. 

After he got Rufioh cleaned, Kurloz left to retrieve some comfy clothes and came back to help his matesprit get dressed. Rufioh was slow and clumsy, so he didn’t complain when he was offered the extra help, soon wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of boxers. 

Kurloz waited till he was dressed, then picked him up again and carried him to their bedroom. He pulled back the covers and tucked Rufioh into the queen sized bed, sitting him up a bit against the pillows since he knew lying down on his back wasn’t the best position if he got sick again. (And with those horns, lying on his side was difficult). Kurloz leaned down and pressed a kiss to Rufioh’s forehead, double checking his temp. “I’m gonna get you some motherfucking meds and shit. Be back in a second”

Rufioh sighed and let his eyes slide shut, leaning back into the soft pillows and curling an arm over his belly. “Sure. Thanks” Maybe after more sleep he’d feel better. He heard quiet footsteps re-enter the room and forced his eyes open to see Kurloz putting the cleaned bin from the bathroom next to him and put down a glass of water. Kurloz handed him some pills. 

“Here. Take these for the nausea and pain. They should knock you out for a while and lower your temp” 

Rufioh obediently took the pills and reached for the glass of water. He managed to drink it with shaking hands, putting it aside once it was empty and wincing at the uncomfortable feeling of it sloshing into his stomach. He was oversensitive, and could feel every little thing acutely. 

Kurloz took the glass to refill it, and came back into the room again. “Would you like the TV on?” he nodded to the flatscreen TV on the far wall. 

Rufioh made a sleepy sound “Hmm…nah, s’fine” His eyes were already closed again.

“All right. Get some rest. I’ll be here if you need anything” Kurloz promised. 

“Mmn” There was a sleepy affirmative noise. Rufioh’s body felt heavy and tired. He drifted off within minutes. 

Kurloz in the meantime, went to go clean up the messes Rufioh made and put on the load of dirty washing. He also stripped off his own clothes to wash and jumped in the shower to clean up. Kurloz stopped in to check on Rufioh every now and then. His matesprit was sleeping heavily. Kurloz went back to his novel and curled up to read for a while. He wasn’t too stressed about catching whatever Ruf had. Likely it was one of those 24 hour things. It took a lot to stress out or worry Kurloz Makara. 

The next time Rufioh woke, he felt a bit better. His stomach was still tender and sore but the nausea was almost gone. He got up to go to the bathroom and then wandered back to bed to curl up. He tried sleeping some more but it didn’t seem like an option, so he grabbed the remote off the bedside table and turned on the TV instead. Rufioh leaned back and started channel flicking, looking for anything interesting. He settled for watching the local news. 

Kurloz appeared in the doorway with a plate bearing some lightly buttered toast, peeled sliced apple, and a small amount of rice. Rufioh always liked rice and it was meant to be easy to eat when one was sick. He also had a cup of ginger tea, which was meant to soothe nausea. He walked over to his matesprit and placed both items down on the bedside table. “So, you’re awake. Feeling any better? I brought you something to eat and drink. You need energy to fight the sickness” he said. 

Rufioh looked at the food dubiously, but reached for the toast and obediently nibbled it. “Yeah. Thanks babe. My stomach’s still pretty angry but I think the worst of it is over. Sorry for the mess”

Kurloz sat down on the bed beside him and shrugged “No big deal. How’s your fever?” he reached out and placed a hand on Rufioh’s forehead. It felt less warm and clammy than it had earlier. 

“Pretty good” Rufioh mumbled, tentatively nibbling more of the toast. They sat together for a while, Kurloz idly watching TV and keeping an eye on his matesprit. 

Rufioh managed to eat half the toast, a few slices of apple and a small bit of rice. He drank all of the ginger tea, sipping slow, careful sips. 

Kurloz moved to lie on the pillows next to him and put an arm around Rufioh, cuddling him close. 

Rufioh smiled and started a weak purr, leaning his head on the Makara’s bony shoulder. He shifted and moved his wings a little. They got sort of stiff if he didn’t change positions much. “You’re too good to me. You know that, right?” 

Kurloz merely curled his lip in a faint smile “You make me happy. And I enjoy doing things for you. So long as you never cheat on me, that should continue to be the case”

“Whoa, whoa, okay, no. Man, I already promised that I’m past all that. I learned my lessons from the past. There’s only so many times you can fuck something up before you learn from your mistakes. If you don’t well then, you’re just…stupid” he snorted half-heartedly. 

“Or running away from your problems” Kurloz added, “At least we both understand what that’s like” 

“Yeah” Rufioh sighed and blinked tiredly. “I’m bored” 

“You sound just like Tavros” he smirked, “Why don’t we look at the new Fiduspawn stuff you obtained?” 

“Mmnh. Don’t wanna move. Too comfy” Rufioh mumbled, snuggling into Kurloz contently. 

Kurloz didn’t argue. 

The two sat together watching various TV shows until the Friday night movies came on. Sometime along the way, Rufioh fell asleep again, and Kurloz drifted off too. 

Rufioh blinked awake to the muted colours of late night TV. He moaned softly as he realised he felt sick again. He reached over Kurloz for the bin, trying not to wake him, but his good intentions were foiled when he realised the bin was just out of reach. He tried to hold it in, leaning further across Kurloz and stretching out his hand. His fingers hooked the side of the bin….and it fell over. Great. Just great. Rufioh tried desperately again to grab the bin, this time with more urgency, but just as he almost had it, a powerful gag caught him by surprise and he vomited….all over Kurloz’s lap. 

Kurloz blinked awake with a start. Something wet and warm just splattered him and he was one hundred percent certain that he hadn’t pissed himself. He opened his eyes and saw Rufioh doubled over in pain with hand pressed to his mouth to, completely ineffectively, stop the surge of vomit and bile that splurted right out through his fingers and past his hand. The sour stench immediately assaulted Kurloz’s nose and he made a face. He was definitely awake now. He reached out immediately to help Rufioh, grabbing the bin in one hand and shoving it under his chin, just in time to catch another watery stream of chunks and bile as his body rejected whatever it was fed earlier.

Kurloz used his psionics to turn on the lamp on the bedside table and saw that Rufioh was crying. Most likely because the acid stung and it was a reflex, but it made for a miserable sight nonetheless. He shifted position and helped hold and soothe his matesprit with all the patience of a saint. “So, your mission for the duration of this virus is to throw up everywhere but the appropriate receptacles, is that right?” he asked calmly, his glowing purple eyes casting a soft light in the dimmed room. 

Rufioh groaned and spat, coughing weakly. He raised a hand and tried to wipe puke and saliva from his face and nose. “Urghhh….fuck” he choked out “Shit, I’m s-sorry” 

Kurloz only chuckled “You do realise I like this, don’t you? You’re motherfucking cute when you’re sick” 

Rufioh leaned against Kurloz’ chest and sighed “’m glad you think so” he smiled a little. 

“In sickness and in health, till death do us part” Kurloz said with grim amusement. 

Rufioh laughed weakly “Annnd there’s the creepy again”


End file.
